Friday, September 30, 2011

While The Almighty's words may be infallible, human words have never been;
The scriptures are the retelling of stories spoken to friends.
Each one of us, when repeating our personal stories,
Focuses on the parts that bring our beliefs most glory.
We must look for common messages in all words we consider holy;
What makes them seem to reach a place that is not simply worldly?

There seems to be a common thread of honoring all creation,
Instead of building boundaries that separate the nations.
There also seems a common thread of responsibility
Of caring for the needs of those given less than me.
The ten commandments are the basis for communities to get along,
So that less sacred energy is consumed in righting personal wrongs.

Our passions don't necessarily have to lead to prejudices;
This is something that, I believe, true holiness addresses.
If we are strong in disciplining our own behaviors,
We will not look for any humans to be our earthly saviors.
We will look to each other for ways that are eternally right,
Not letting the greed of our officials lead us to act in fright.

Instead of paraphrasing what others have already written,
Why aren't we hearing how, by right living, each other is smitten?
There has been so much sacred written by people with a purpose,
It is for each others' sacred voices that our communities thirst.
But needing to have someone dictate The Spirit's voice to us
Seems to have long caused suffering and is humanity's greatest curse.

This is where I fear that much in organized religion
Is actually leading away from the attainment of a heaven.
We allow our religious leaders to pretend that only they hear
The voice that is whispered into each listener's ear.
We must be alert to hear the voice, and to teach our children
That we are each chosen to have a part in leading our nations.

About Me

Since I was a little girl, I've had serious questions about what people said about God, faith, morals, and family. As a grandmother, I have never stopped asking the same questions. One Family, Many Faiths is a forum for sharing explorations of faith and values applied to our own families and other relationships in our lives.